US News: Japanese interpreter accused of embezzling over $16 million from baseball star Shohei Ohtani
Accusations have been made against Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani, for allegedly stealing over $16m (£12.75m) from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to cover gambling debts. Mizuhara is facing bank fraud charges for allegedly taking the funds from an account he helped Ohtani set up.
According to E. Martin Estrada, the US Attorney for the Central District of California, the stolen money was transferred to an illegal sports gambling operation over a two-year period from an account where Ohtani received his salary after signing a record $700m contract to join the LA Dodgers this season.
Mr. Estrada mentioned that investigators have not found any evidence suggesting that Mizuhara placed bets on baseball games.
Ohtani, who is considered a victim and not implicated in any wrongdoing, expressed feeling betrayed by Mizuhara, who was a trusted friend. The accusations came to light during a news conference in Los Angeles on 25 March.
Shohei Ohtani. Pic: Reuters
Mizuhara started gambling with an illegal sports book and began losing significant amounts in late 2021, according to legal documents from Thursday. He allegedly impersonated Ohtani to deceive bank employees into authorizing wire transfers.
On or around 20 March, while discussing reports of his theft from Ohtani with a bookmaker, Mizuhara admitted, “technically I did steal from him, it’s all over for me”.
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Mizuhara met Ohtani in 2013 when Ohtani didn’t know English and helped him set up a bank account shortly after Ohtani arrived in the US in 2018, as mentioned by Mr. Estrada. Mizuhara’s actions were driven by an “insatiable appetite for illegal sports gambling” and involved unauthorized access to Ohtani’s bank account online.
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Bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and Mizuhara is anticipated to appear in court soon for his initial hearing. Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael Freedman, did not provide any comment on the charges.
